Hotel Chocolat full year profit set to be in line with expectations

Hotel Chocolat has said that its full year pre-tax profit is expected to be in line with market expectations, after it reported an uplift in revenue.

The company said in a trading update that revenue increased by 14% to £132 million in the 52 weeks to June 30^th.

In the year, Hotel Chocolat opened 16 new stores, two being in the US.  The new openings contributed 5% to group sales.  It also launched two stores in Tokyo via a joint venture.

Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive of Hotel Chocolat, said:  “I’m really pleased with our performance this year, delivering strong growth across all parts of the Hotel Chocolat multi-channel, direct-to-consumer model. New activities in the year included openings in the US and Japan; the launch of the Velvetiser – our in-home drinking chocolate system; and the introduction of our VIP ME rewards card scheme, all of which present substantial future growth opportunities.”